


Out of the Woods

by Chicory



Series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chapter Coda, Gen, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25846516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicory/pseuds/Chicory
Summary: A coda to chapter fifteen: The Forbidden Forest.
Series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754545
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Out of the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Man, it took me forever to write this because I moved, and it took forever to set up my computer and internet. Well, okay, a bit over a week but it felt like forever. I'm actually kind of happy how this turned out. I feel like my Draco voice is a lot better.

It was all so stupid.

Draco shouldn't have been here in the first place. If he thought about it, it was all that big oaf's fault. If he hadn't got himself an illegal dragon from somewhere, Potter wouldn't have ever been smuggling it out and Draco wouldn't have been caught by Professor McHarridan trying to get a look at it.

She could've torn Draco's ear off with those wrinkled claws of hers; Draco's mother would've been most displeased.

He'd thought they'd be writing an essay or something, even as they'd made their way towards Hagrid's combustible hut in the darkness. Draco'd figured suffering the oaf's company was just an insidious part of the punishment, but it'd turned out to be something far worse. Who even sent kids to wander in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night as punishment for wandering around in the middle of the night?

Draco had the dark suspicion that the professors had been dabbling in the alcohol supply of Hogwarts a little too hard. He'd heard _tales_ of the things that went on during the holiday feasts; his parents would've been appalled.

So here Draco was, trekking along the stupid winding path amidst the stupid underbrush with stupid Longbottom and the enormous oaf's equally enormous black boarhound who didn't seem capable of tracking his own tail let alone a dying unicorn. Draco petted him furtively when Longbottom wasn't looking, and insulted him exhaustively in a low tolerant voice while Fang panted like the chimney of a steam locomotive.

Filthy, flea-bitten thing. Probably had got the fleas from that Hagrid.

The Forest was dark, and dark, and more dark. Longbottom flinched and whimpered at every sound and shift of shadow like the big ninny he was. Fang whined and huddled against Draco's legs periodically, and he absently scratched him behind the ears. For a trek through the Forbidden Forest ridden with werewolves, or so Draco had heard, and the black cats of Sidhe, or so Draco had heard, and other unmentionable beasts, it was dreadfully _dull_.

It really wasn't Draco's fault he was getting bored as the initial adrenaline rush of panic faded into an unsuspenseful monotone.

Besides, it really was too funny how high Longbottom jumped with a girly shriek and a frantic shot of red sparks at the sky when Draco grabbed him for a joke. He was sure he was going to have his housemates in stitches when he was going to do an impression of it in the common room later.

But as was Draco's luck and lot in life, Hagrid didn't have a sense of humour about the thing. Maybe that was why he liked Potter so much - like his own equally surly, stunted son.

As if all this wasn't enough, Draco was then paired up with Potter who was prone to fits of rage and he had to witness the revolting sight of some creepy thing drinking the blood out of a dead unicorn. Draco bolted it right out of there with Fang, shamelessly leaving Potter to fend for himself. He'd somehow defeated the Dark Lord with his hard skull when he'd been only a year old, Draco was sure he'd manage.

Fang followed him all the way down to his dormitory when he stomped back afterwards without the others, and he snored worse than Crabbe and Goyle.

The only good thing about the whole sorry ordeal was that Potter had become the most hated person in the school. If Draco had known all it took to turn the entire school against Potter was for him to lose some house points, he would've arranged something earlier.

He'd watched Potter's housemates and teammates, and Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs all ostracize Potter for weeks on end, perplexed at the bizarre behaviour because Draco's housemates didn't turn their backs on their own. He figured one couldn't expect any better from blood traitors and Muggleborns.

Draco supposed Slytherin truly was the superior House.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :)


End file.
